Brunch at Mimolette, Singapore

I’ve visited Mimolette late on a Friday night for the split music nightclub and had a great time. The setting was remote, the decorations seemed hip without trying too hard, and the crowd was a nice mix of people. (Of course this was 12:30 a.m. after a 3 hour free flow on Dempsey Hill

) I was excited when I heard they also did a Sunday brunch….

I left not as excited. Part of this was expectations based off the nightclub and, I hate to say it, part of this came down to poor execution.

The location near a horse ranch and farm is ideal. The road leading up to the restaurant is lined with tall trees and lush greenery, hiding the city skyline from view. The large white building looks like an old plantation house. There’s seating indoors and outside under fans surrounded by the landscaping. So far a perfect brunch place….

We took our seats inside, anticipating a quality, enjoyable Sunday brunch afternoon… and then we were greeted by the clown, making balloon animals. Our group was the first on the scene inside, and with no other tables to impress, the ladies of our table were treated to well-made (though slightly misplaced for our group) balloon jewelry. I was presented with a balloon rifle – I have to admit it kept me entertained much longer than it should have 😉

We quickly realized that the Sunday brunch would not be bringing in the same crowd as the Friday nightclub. As we waited for the rest of our group to arrive, the building quickly filled with families… lots of families and lots of kids. Certainly not a bad thing in itself, but something you should be aware of if brunching after a solid Saturday night out or when looking for a peaceful, slower paced brunch option.

We ordered coffees and mains. There were many good brunch and full menu items on the menu so selection was difficult for a few of us (don’t worry we’ll be narrowing the list down for you in just a bit). The coffees arrived and the servers were clueless as to who the coffees went to, even with us raising our hands to motion the coffee over. The female head waitor stepped in and cleared the confusion, but it was obvious some of the staff here needs a bit more training. I wouldn’t complain if we were dining at California Pizza Kitchen, but with some dishes topping out at 30 SGD (plus 10 & 7 %) I expect everything on point. There was a large group celebrating outside and some large 15+ tops inside so I’ll give them a slight pass on service, but will say the coffee and main ordering processes were already a bit off when it was just our group inside. The White Rabbit is widely criticized online for their service, but it completely blew this place away (maybe they swapped servers?)

Some of the food came out very quickly. The first on the scene was Lemon Hotcakes (14SGD). They looked vibrant and fresh on the plate. Thankfully the hotcakes themselves weren’t infused with lemon, but it was actually the whipped cream topping on the side that had an essence of lemon. Actually a solid menu item and a good value price wise.

Next out were the salads. Caroline ordered the Seared Tuna Salad (21 SGD). The plate was colorful and fresh. Caroline said it was a very decent salad.

Kalpana opted for the Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (19 SGD). Unfortunately she wasn’t so lucky. Her exact words were, “I had the Chicken Caesar from Carl’s Jr earlier this week and it was better.”

I went with the Mini Mimolette Wagyu Burgers (28 SGD). Burgers were just barely OK. The texture and flavor reminded me more of a sloppy joe than a quality burger (PS Cafe). The fries, however stole the show and everyone enjoyed them a lot (can be ordered as a heaping side plate for 10 SGD). The dish as a whole was easily the worst value of the afternoon.

Monica went with the Toasted Sesame Honey Chicken Sandwich (18 SGD) and was equally unimpressed. I think she maybe ate 1/3 of it before giving up and deciding to hold out for dessert. It sounded really lovely on the menu, but the dish served to us didn’t resemble the description at all.

Next out was Joanna’s Croque Madame (18 SGD). It featured layers and layers of ham coated in cheese… she gave it points for being rich and satisfying overall, but subtracted points because it was basic and simple in flavor – and not a traditional rendition of a Croque Madame.

Joe’s eyes lit up when he saw Joanna’s plate arrive at the table. They quickly sank like a dog watching his master leave in a fully packed car as his plate was lowered to the table in front of him. Joe is our “Eggs Benedict” guy. He’s ordered them at every place we’ve visited so far… and these were the worst. According to Joe the ham was most likely packaged at best and probably processed, the hollandaise was crusty on top and separating, and the overall plating lacked imagination and precision.

Lyon ordered the Farmer’s Breakfast (20 SGD). He said it was a good “diner breakfast”. On the menu it sounded like lots of food, ordering he realized he had read to hastily and didn’t realize all the options were choices not all included. At Irish Pubs farmer’s breakfasts are usually massive ordeals that cause one’s heart to flutter upon finishing due to the amounts of food…this one was sparse and lacked quality ingredients.

Some of us were satisfied and ended the meal with another coffee. Remember when I said Monica was the least satisfied and thought she’d treat herself instead to a dessert? She discovered there was no real dessert menu for brunch. You could order the hotcakes or from an assortment of cupcakes, muffins, etc. So she went for the chocolate cupcake… only to again be disappointed. “Super Dry” was all she had to say

All in all it was a bit of a let-down. I’m sorry the review is a bit negative…but sadly I’ve restrained myself a bit and tried to find a few nice things to say throughout. There were a couple dishes that were decent and a few that were failures. The environment was well-suited to a Sunday family outing or brunch for those in the area. The fries were heads and shoulders better than the “famous Barracks fries”. But considering the long cab ride to the location from where we live, the prices, and the quality of the foods served – we won’t be returning soon (unless it’s to dance some late Friday night).